1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of content and/or data delivery over a network. More particularly, the present invention is related to apparatus and methods for distributing programming content, media, data and other information services via a substantially centralized apparatus disposed on a user premises (e.g., residence, enterprise, etc.).
2. Description of Related Technology
Recent advances in digital information processing have made a whole range of services and functions available for delivery to consumers at their premises for very reasonable prices or subscription fees. These services and functions include digital programming (movies, etc.), digital video-on-demand (VOD), personal video recorder (PVR), Internet Protocol television (IPTV), digital media playback and recording, as well high speed internet access and IP-based telephony (e.g., VoIP). Other services available to network users include access to and recording of digital music (e.g., MP3 files), as well local area networking (including wire-line and wireless local area networks) for distributing these services throughout the user's premises, and beyond.
Currently, many of these services are provided and delivered to the user via a wide variety of different equipment environments including, inter alia, cable modems, Wi-Fi hubs, Ethernet hubs, gateways, switches and routers, computers, servers, cable set-top boxes, PSTNs, cellular telephones/smartphones, PDAs, and portable digital music devices such as the Apple iPod™. Additionally, the services associated with such technology are typically provided by multiple vendors including e.g., a cable service provider (e.g., MSO), cellular service provider (CSP), wireless service provider (WSP), VoIP service provider, music download service, Internet service provider (ISP), PSTN telephone service, etc.
The myriad of services, equipment and providers can easily create confusion and economic inefficiency for someone using many of these services on a regular basis. In particular, a user may have to pay for each service or equipment separately, thus eliminating any economies of scale based on integration. Additionally, the equipment or services may not interoperate with one another, thus reducing the overall utility provided to the user, and increasing their frustration level. These problems are particularly acute when the number of different services utilized (and hence number of service providers) is high.
The user must also typically learn and recall a number of different user interfaces on a regular basis; for example, their cable TV EPG or navigator will use different menus and features than their PDA, which will be different than those on their PC, which will be different than those on their telephony system, and so forth.
Some improvements in digital service integration have been made over time. For example, cable system subscribers (such as those of the Assignee hereof) can now access VOD, PVR, PPV and broadcast services simultaneously, as well a Internet access via cable modem, and even digital telephony (e.g., VoIP). However, these functions are still substantially disparate in terms of their hardware and software environments (i.e., the user must have a cable modem, set-top box, VoIP telephony unit, PC, etc.), and “cross-over” between the environments (e.g., moving content or data from one environment to the other) is quite limited.
Furthermore, conditional access (CA) paradigms currently in use are quite restricted, and not generally extensible beyond the user's set-top box. So, for example, the user would be prohibited from transferring streamed or downloaded content to their Wi-Fi enabled laptop or PC, since proper conditional access support does not exist in these devices.
Prior art approaches also generally do not provide remote configuration, provisioning, monitoring, or troubleshooting capability, which significantly reduces the network operator's ability to, inter alia, reconfigure the device after installation, adjust its operation, or assess its performance or failure.
Thus, improved apparatus and methods for distributing digital services to and within a user premises are needed. Such improved apparatus and services would ideally provide users with a number of diverse digital services at a competitive price, and in a more integrated and unified fashion, thereby simplifying user access to the services, and allowing for substantially unrestricted cross-over between different hardware and software environments. For example, the user or subscriber would be provided with a converged home network environment wherein media (whether personal in nature, data files, protected video content, or otherwise) would be easily and transparently available to any relevant personal media device (PMD) within the premises, subject to any authentication or other content protection or distribution restrictions.
This integrated and unified access would also allow for remote, centralized management and configuration, as well as extension of the conditional access environment outside of merely the user's set-top box or other such consumer premises equipment (CPE).